"The federal government goes to great lengths to work with owners to handle potential pollution cases such as these," said Cmdr. Joseph LoSciuto, deputy commander of Sector Anchorage. "In this case the owner was uncooperative and the Coast Guard was obliged to take steps to protect the environment and the public welfare of the citizens of Seldovia."

Tied up in Seldovia for more than five years, the vessel had become an increasing concern for Seldovia residents. Its engines no longer operated. Marine inspectors deemed it unseaworthy and in need of substantial improvements to the engines and the hull before it could be removed from Seldovia.

After Tim Dillon became Seldovia's city manager in October, he made inquiries into how to deal with the problem the Husky II posed. That led to a visit by the Coast Guard, the letter to the vessel's owner, and finally, when the owner failed to comply with written requests, the classification of the vessel as a federal clean-up site. Funding out of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is paying for the clean-up, which is estimated to cost approximately $450,000.

"The total coast of the clean-up can possibly be recovered through pursuit of civil penalties against the vessel owner for up to three times the total costs incurred," the Coast Guard stated in a Feb. 17 press release.

The project is proving a boon to Seldovia.

"There are 26 total (people) working in the project," Dillon said. "Probably somewhere between six to 10 are local and the rest are people (the Coast Guard) had to bring in."

As a result, Seldovia businesses are feeling a welcomed boost.

"The restaurant is now able to be open for dinner, there's rooms in the hotel and this thing is getting cleaned up," Dillon said. "It's pretty amazing."

Dillon has two goals for the clean-up project: not having a hazardous fluid leak and getting the ship out of Seldovia.

"How its departure is handled is probably still a couple weeks away because there's so many pieces that have to fall into place right now," he said, adding, "I promise I won't send it to Homer."

The Husky II has already spent time on this side of the bay, according Homer Harbormaster Bryan Hawkins. It was moored in Homer in 2002, moved to Jakalof Bay for a year or two and then was taken to Seldovia.

"That boat is an over-achiever when it comes to hazardous waste," Hawkins said. "It was almost like a dumping ground, with lots of materials on there that wouldn't normally be on a boat."

The dangers caused by derelict -- homeless -- boats are not unique to Seldovia. Several years ago, the Coast Guard stepped in when the Spanky Paine, a 115-year-old steel tugboat, raised concerns in Homer.

"We completely emptied the tanks, pumped all the sumps out of the engines and the bilge was completely emptied by a big vac truck," Hawkins said of efforts similar to the clean-up project now underway in Seldovia. "We haven't cleaned any others out that way, but we do have other vessels we're concerned about."

With owners failing to keep an eye on their vessels, harbor personnel are forced to watch for changes signaling a problem.

"We watch these boats like they were our own. If something happens to them, it affects our harbor, the whole community," Hawkins said.

In fact, he added, the impacts reach statewide.

"The state is only 50 years old and we've been so busy building and growing that we never gave any thought to cradle-to-grave," he said. "What do we do with vessels that are aged out and don't have any commercial value left in them? All of our harbors have vessels like that."

A smaller, 50-foot wood boat is one thing, but a 150-foot steel vessel is a different matter.

"It's beyond our ability to handle that," Hawkins said. "As a state, we need to take this on and talk about developing a facility to dispose of old, aged-out vessels that have no value left in them."

Dillon agreed with Hawkins.

"He's 100 percent correct," Dillon said. "This boat sat here six years. Thank goodness when the folks came over and looked at this, they were trying to do the best thing for not only our community, but the state and keeping the pristine waters."

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibbenjackinsky.@homernews.com.